China

A new report from Canalys has forecasted the global smart speaker market for next year, projecting that it will reach 163 million units, a growth of 21 percent. Mainland China is expected to be the main market for smart speakers next year with a growth of 16 percent. The rest of the market is expected to grow by just three percent. In spite of this, 2021 is believed to be a much stronger...

Apple has reportedly removed two RSS feed reader apps from China's App Store to comply with Chinese law. Fiery Feeds and Reeder both tweeted that their iOS apps had been removed in China over content that is considered "illegal" in the country. Same here. Reeder 4 (iOS) was also removed from the Chinese App Store. https://t.co/95aXs4MaEh— Reeder (@reederapp) September 29, 2020 Fiery Feeds...

The U.S. Commerce Department is moving to ban downloads of TikTok and WeChat within the United States from this Sunday (via Reuters). The U.S. Commerce Department plans to issue an order today that will "deplatform" WeChat and TikTok by banning people in the United States from downloading the apps. The order will take effect from Sunday, September 20. U.S. government officials speaking...

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order giving ByteDance 90 days to sell its TikTok business in the United States, citing evidence of possible national security threats from the China-based company. In the order, the Trump Administration said there's "credible evidence" to suggest that ByteDance "might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United...

Apple shipped approximately 15 million iPhones in the United States in the second quarter of 2020, according to a new report shared by Canalys, setting a new domestic record. Apple shipped 15 percent more iPhone 11 devices than last year's equivalent, ‌iPhone‌ XR. Most strikingly, iPhone SE was responsible for growing Apple's quarterly market share to 47 percent. Overall, Apple shipped 10 ...

A new document outlining the potential scope of President Trump's TikTok ban suggests Apple could be forced to remove the short-form video sharing platform from its App Store in China. Trump last week signed an executive order that would officially ban any U.S. transactions with TikTok if its Chinese parent ByteDance does not reach a deal to divest it to a U.S. company in 45 days....

Apple imported staff uniforms from a company subject to U.S. sanctions over forced labor, according to a report from The Guardian. The company in question, Changji Esquel Textile, is a subsidiary firm of Hong Kong garment group Esquel. Shipping records reveal Changji Esquel Textile is based in China's western Xinjiang region. In July, the U.S. government imposed sanctions on Esquel and...

The U.S. government is stepping up efforts against Chinese technology companies as it prepares to purge App Stores of "untrusted" Chinese apps, reports Reuters. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. "Clean Network" program would focus on five areas and include steps to prevent various Chinese apps and telecoms companies from accessing the sensitive information of American citizens...

Yesterday we reported on Microsoft's accelerated efforts to purchase TikTok in the United States before President Trump follows through on a threat to ban the Chinese-owned app in the country. On Tuesday, Reuters reported that China's ruling Communist Party blasted those efforts via an editorial in the China Daily newspaper, saying it will not accept the "theft" of a Chinese tech company...

DigiTimes issued a report today highlighting Apple's apparent efforts to build a supply chain consisting entirely of China-based makers in order to manufacture iPhones specifically for the Chinese market. The assessment is based on recent aggressive moves by Apple suppliers Luxshare and Lens Technology to acquire metal chassis plants operated in China by Taiwan-based makers, a strategy that ...

Apple has been hit with a $1.4 billion lawsuit by a Chinese artificial intelligence company that alleges Apple violated a patent it owns for a virtual assistant similar to Siri, according to a paywalled Wall Street Journal report. Shanghai Zhizhen Network Technology Co. said in a statement on Monday it was suing Apple for an estimated 10 billion yuan ($1.43 billion) in damages in a Shanghai...

Apple's "Today at Apple" in-store creative sessions are returning to some retail locations in mainland China, following a pause due to the global health crisis. Today at Apple will resume at the following nine stores across the country on Monday, August 3, writes Michael Steeber (via 9to5Mac). Apple Zhujiang New Town Apple MixC Nanning Apple Nanjing Jinmao Place Apple Suzhou Apple...

Apple on Saturday removed nearly 30,000 apps from its Chinese App Store due to the apps lacking an official license from local regulators, reports Reuters. The report, which cites data from research firm Qimai, says that 90% of the apps removed were games. The report also mentions that over 2,500 additional apps were removed from the China App Store over the first week of July. Apple in...

President Trump plans to ban TikTok from the United States, NBC News reports. Aboard Air Force One on Friday night, Trump reportedly said "As far as TikTok is concerned we're banning them from the United States." He described the action as a "severance" and said that an executive order enforcing the ban could be signed as soon as today. "I have that authority," he said. In recent weeks, ...

Apple's iPhone was the fastest-growing smartphone brand in China in the second quarter, according to data published by Counterpoint Research. Bouncing back from the decline in the market in Q1 following the global health crisis, Apple grew 32% year on year thanks to the continued popularity of its ‌iPhone‌ 11 lineup and heavy discounting at an annual shopping festival that Apple doesn't...

Apple says it has found no evidence of alleged forced labor at one of its key Chinese suppliers, after the U.S. government blacklisted O-film as part of its continuing crackdown on Chinese tech companies. Tim Cook on a visit to a Chinese O-film facility in 2017 Camera and touch module supplier O-film Group was one of 11 Chinese companies added to the U.S. Commerce Department's Entity List on...

Apple is assessing a new Hong Kong security law that makes "subversion" of the government illegal and raises concerns about the criminalization of protests, reports Bloomberg. China last week implemented legislation allowing local authorities to supervise and regulate internet access in Hong Kong. The new measures criminalize acts that were previously considered protected speech under Hong...

WhatsApp has suspended its processing of requests for user data from Hong Kong law enforcement agencies, in response to China's imposition of a new national security law on the city, reports The Wall Street Journal. The company is "pausing" such reviews "pending further assessment of the impact of the National Security Law, including formal human rights due diligence and consultations with...

Apple is "battling to free stuck shipments" at the Indian port of Chennai after the country ramped up scrutiny of imports from China following rising tensions between the two nations. Reuters reports that customs officers at the Southern Indian port have held back more than 150 shipments of smartphones and electronic parts from China, which has disrupted operations at plants owned by Apple...

Apple has frozen updates for thousands of iOS mobile games on the App Store in China, due to these apps lacking an official license from Chinese regulators (via Financial Times). Previously in February, Apple gave app developers a June 30 deadline to prove they had a license for their games. Now that it's July, Apple said that developers would not be able to update their games without a...